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Commissioners urge caution on data‑center rules, recommend stronger discretionary review
Summary
Staff proposed allowing data centers in three heavier districts with new conditions (setbacks, 25,000‑sq‑ft cap, closed‑loop non‑potable cooling) but many commissioners recommended requiring a Specific Use Permit so the city can evaluate power, water and community impacts case‑by‑case.
The UDC draft would keep data centers in three heavier zoning districts but add conditions—setback from residential uses, a 25,000‑square‑foot cap in GB‑2 and required closed‑loop, non‑potable cooling systems to reduce water use. Consultants said proposals meeting those conditions could be allowed by right; deviations would require a Specific Use Permit (SUP).
Commissioners pressed staff on energy and water impacts and whether smaller centers should still be discretionary. One attendee raised the magnitude of potential electricity demand in a hypothetical: "It's 50 megawatts. So it would take 40,000 single family homes to equal that," a commissioner said, emphasizing that power load and water usage need explicit review and conditions.
Multiple commissioners recommended moving toward discretionary review—requiring SUPs—so the city could evaluate each proposal’s technology, power demand and water impacts rather than rely on a fixed, by‑right allowance for projects that merely meet minimum conditions. Staff said that where projects meet the drafted conditions they would be allowed by right but that projects not meeting conditions would trigger the SUP and go through Planning & Zoning and City Council review.
Next steps: staff will refine the draft to clarify thresholds, power and water expectations and the circumstances that should require SUP review rather than by‑right approval.
